My buddy is a 7 mo old Lab-mix that used to have a stomach like iron and has eaten EVERYTHING without issue. This week, on 3 consecutive days he vomited undigested food at the same exact time each day. I took him to the vet where he had the million dollar work-up that, of course, turned up nothing. Now 3 days later, on the BLAN diet, the vomiting has stopped, but he has not pooped in almost 4 days. The vet says watch him till we advance him back to full feeds, but I am nervous!! Anyone else tried pumpkin or Metamucil, as I have been reading.....or should I just wait it out???? Thanks for any suggestions!!!:confused::confused:

I hate all these drugs but I know sometimes these will be prescribed by your vet---I personally will never give Rimadyl or Novox--The brand names for the drug carprofen whether my vet would prescribe or not! Even though I am against all of these I want to give some info before you put your dogs on any NSAIDS. This is all quoted from a pamphlet I have that is put out by the FDA--and no I did not get this from a vet's office, but wish they did have it to pass out! Here goes: What are NSAIDs?---NSAIDs help to control signs of arthritis, including inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and joint pain. Inflammation---the body's responce to irritation or injury---is characterized by redness, warmth, swelling, and pain. NSAIDs work by blocking the production of prostaglandins, chemicals produced by the body that cause inflammation. Some NSAIDs may also be used to control the pain and inflammation following a surgery. (THis is me 'talking'--not a quote--As I stated in this forum before---My vet did not ask my permission to administer Rimadyl while my dog was on the operating table--So if there are any drugs you don't want your dog to have at all---You best tell your vet that and have it on your dog's records and even then I would remind the vet just before your dog undergoing any surgery-including teeth cleaning!!) Back to quoting: Your vet may prescribe an NSAID to treat the pain of osteoarthritis (AND I would look for an alternative 1st!!) in your dog or to control pain following a surgical procedure.
Vetinary NSAIDs approved for use in dogs:
...ETOGESIC (etodolac)
...RIMADYL (carprofen)
...NOVOX (carprofen)
...METACAM (meloxicam)
..DERAMAXX (deracoxib)
..PREVICOX (firocoxib)
...ZUBRIN (tepoxalin)-------(I would put all these words in my browser--example: Rimadyl (or carprofen)/side effects before giving any of them to my dog!!)[/B]Note for cat lovers: In the U.S, there are no vet NSAIDs approved for oral use in cats.
What should you discuss with your veterinarian?Before giving an NSAID, or any drug, you should first talk with your vet. You should discuss:
...what the NSAID is being subscribed for
...HOW MUCH to give
...HOW LONG to give it
...POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
...WHAT TO AVOID while your dog is taking an ASAID
...WHAT TESTS ARE NEEDED BEFORE GIVING an NSAID to your dog
...how often should your dog be RE-EXAMINED
...your dog's PREVIOUS MEDICAL HISTORY and ANY PREVIOUS DRUG REACTIONS
...ALL MEDICATIONS and PRODUCTS (I imagine this would include vitamins and supplements like fish oil, etc) your dog CURRENTLY RECEIVES
------I am continuing this in the following post---------------->

Hi everyone, I have a 4 year old female Pekingese that started getting UTI's last year. She has had 4 within the year. I am so frustrated because for one, it has cost me over $2k so far (and still going) and two, I don't want my baby girl to keep suffering from this for the rest of her life. I am just a poor college student.

Each incident my girl will do 2 urinalysis and 2 culture & sensitivity tests. She has been on antibiotics (amoxicillin) for so long, usually 6-8 weeks. It clears up for a little but then it just comes back again. We have been trying to figure out the cause of her UTI's. At first the vet thought that it was just a tough strain to get rid of, so we went long-term on antibiotics. Then they said she had a little higher than normal amount of struvite crystals in her urine. So she has had water added to her food to increase her water intake. I also take her out to potty every 3-4 hours. Another time the vets did x-rays and ultrasound to check to see if maybe she had a blockage or stones. They found nothing. Just yesterday she had a dental co-op and vaginal scope and they didn't find any constriction. They have run out of ideas and now they are telling me that it may be just that she needs to have a sanitary cut more often and to put wipe her vaginal area with an anti-septic.

Basically I think my baby will always have this her whole life and I really hate the idea that she lives off antibiotics. What if one day they stop working? I don't know what to do. Also, I have never heard of using an anti-septic down there, and the vet never told me what kind and where I can buy it. I have read somewhere that diluted apple cider vinegar can help with UTI's to help acidify, but I'm not sure if that is safe. Of course if it was safe I would give it to her after her course of antibiotics as a preventative, not to cure.

Does anyone have any advice/suggestions?

About my dogs. i have a 3 year old beagle named jasmine (Female) whom is very loving and pretty mellow, But not lazy or in anyway over weight. And Just a few weeks ago i got my girlfriend a seven month old Boxer mix Bella (Female) through an adoption from an owner that could not care for her "She really like's that sort of breed of dog" that is very friendly but at times way to hyper active for my beagle.

About how i feed my dogs. When we got our boxer we picked up some more of the food we where feeding our Beagle. and set up another bowl for the new boxer so they could eat away from one another. fighting over food was a little issue at first but seems to have been reduced. i gave food to my beagle by free choice letting her eat when she wanted witch was no issue she normal would only eat small amounts at a time. so i started feeding our new dog the same way. and she seems to be okay but our dog food last a lot less then it use to!

Now you know some about my dogs here is where i need advice

Is free choice okay for a larger dog like my boxer mix? Should i try to change how i feed my dogs?

I feed my dogs beneful, but after some looking on the web i found that it is not a very good dog food. Is this true? Should i change my dog food? what brand should I go to?

Dog food is getting to be a hassle. Buying it that is. Is there a place online that i could buy my dogs food so i do not have to spend as much "I still want quality, and willing to pay" and so i could get my dog food in larger amounts so that i do not have to run and get more all the time.

Or even should i be feeding my dogs the same food?

Please any tips or advice you could share on anything about my situation would be nice. I want to revise how i feed them i just dont know how i should go about it. any info is welcome

Hi, one of my six year old minpins had recently grown small fluid pockets under his skin. They are small and quite hard to notice. There are 2 or 3 of them and are on his underside on his lower chest. Should I be worried about this?

My Blitz is 8 months old. He is a purebred Shepherd from good lineage. The people that owned him found they did not have the time for him and I adopted him 6 weeks ago.
This past weekend I had him at the park with my other dogs,we were playing ball and Blitz ran alot.Well that evening he was whimpering and he was walking funny. Of course I have not run him since. Just walks in the backyard.
This evening he was playing with his toys and ran into the living room on the hardwood floor and started yelping.
My Question is , is he too young to have hip problems. I assumed they are something that come later in life.
I contacted the prior owner and was assured he had no injury. He also does eat Iam's puppy food.

I will be bringing him to the vet for X-Rays.

Just looking for some advice, Thank you.

i have a 9 year old golden retreiver and i think shes ill. we hope its nothing serious and wondered if anyone on here might be able to help as money is tight and a visit to the vets is quite expensive and if its nothing serious then maybe we wont have to take her.

if we cannot find out whats wrong with her by tomorrow morning then we will be taking her to the vets.

her symptoms are:
1. her ears keep twitching really often, something ive never seen her do before. her ears are clean and weve administered ear drops but shes still doing it.

2. she has been leaving runny stools in her toilet.

3. she has been drinking water well which is good im guessing to replace any lost fluid in the diherea.

4. she seems lethargic. took her for a walk the last two days and shes been lagging behind me and she doesnt look her normal self. today she didnt even want to go past our front gate and happily turned back.

someone please help.

My puppy was recently diagnosed with renal dysplasia and it has since been a lot of ups and downs. Especially with the fact that he is so young. Anyone familiar with this disease? Any tips or suggestions? All of the canned prescription diets are awful and he doesn't like them. Any homemade diets? Success stories?

Just like us our dogs are also affected by hundreds of different types of diseases and conditions. In the same way that our body feels terrible when we are sick, our dogs can also feel weak and tired when they are inflicted with a disease.

Unfortunately, since animals can’t talk, it’s often very difficult to detect what type health problems they may be experiencing; so once owing a dog it’s our duty to keep them healthy. We should check our dog on a daily basis to make sure there are no signs of disease or injury.

Knowing whether or not your dog is healthy could save their lives. Simple changes in behavior in relation to feeding, activity and toilet habits, extreme thirst, gaining or losing a lot of weight quickly, an unusual loss of appetite, strange behavior, being sluggish and tired or acute fatigue, trouble getting up or down, excessive diarrhea or vomiting, coughing and wheezing, a rapid decline in hearing or vision, and strange lumps etc. often give a clue that all is not normal.

If in doubt or find anything abnormal you should contact a vet for advice. It’s very important that you take your pet to see its vet at the earliest possible time.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common and serious pet health problems, affecting approximately 80% of dogs by age 3 - often resulting in tooth and gum infections, pain, loss of teeth and even organ damage in pets. To control periodontal disease, preventive oral hygiene is critical.

Oral hygiene begins with a proper diet. Feeding your dog a dry pet food is more effective than feeding moist foods in provision of adequate chewing exercise and gum stimulation.

Some canine health problems are similar to illnesses suffered by humans. For example, dogs too suffer from diabetes, arthritis, depression and even worms. Canine Diabetes is commonly an endocrine disorder, which is seen in cats, dogs and other animals as well. The complications resulting from canine diabetes include hypoglycemia, which may occur due to insulin overdose, poor appetite. The signs of hypoglycemia in case of diabetes in animals are dullness, sleepiness, weakness, seizures, etc.

Controlling the glucose levels in dogs can go a long way in helping them to live a long healthy and joyous life. There are three major parts of controlling blood sugar amongst animals. These are diet, blood glucose monitoring and exercise.

There are numerous health problems that affect our dogs, but fortunately, the vast majority of them that pets commonly experience can be successfully treated with medications, physical therapy, surgery, or other types of medical treatments.

Routine vaccinations are recommended for all dogs to safeguard them from potential diseases. Regular daily exercise is essential for your dog's health and to help prevent boredom and conditions like obesity.

Do not take their health problems lightly. It is your responsibility to provide your dog a happier and healthier life. Visit the veterinarian regularly and speak to him about any doubts you have regarding your dog's health.

Hi all!
My sweet 10 year old beagle is scheduled for gallbladder surgery next week and of course were nervous but know it has to be done.

3 weeks ago she was in sudden liver failure, however with medication, supplements and a white steamed fish diet her liver completely turned itself around and came down from levels of 980 to 20 which is better than normal. So our vet figured out that it was her gallbladder that was actually the cause of her liver infection. Turns out it is filled with 'sludge', he talked to 4 other top ranked vetrinarians and they all agreed since it appeared it wasnt fluid like in her gallbladder that medication would not be the way to go since she is at risk for rupture which could be horrible....so we have scheduled surgery for next Tuesday morning.

For the last 3 weeks our vet has been doing ultrasounds (on the house) to monitor it and its been stable, not better but not worse. We adore our vet and he truly is invested and compassionate over his patients. He has to bring in an outside surgeon since its a big surgery.

Anyways I was wanting to know if there is anyone out there that has been trhough gallbladder surgery with their dog?

He is confident and expects that she will make a great recovery but is real enough to say it is a big surgery as well, shes doing so well right now that its heartbreaking for us to make the decision to be proactive and get rid of her gallbladder and put her through surgery but its only a matter of time before it causes another problem or ruptures.

Thanks for your feedback!

since morning my dog has been bleeding from I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS!I LOVE DOGS! ocassionally though there is no blood in urine
he did not bleed during the day but now at night he has started to bleed continuously
iam really scared pls i need urgent help

Hello

Diets that have been formulated for dogs are a precise mixture of many ingredients designed to give an optimum balance of nutrients. Homemade diets are difficult to formulate accurately and usually have excesses and deficiencies that can affect the dog's health. They are difficult to make and store and usually cost more than commercial diets.

If you want to formulate a homemade diet, recipes are available through your veterinarian that will give you the best chance to create a balanced ration.

Keep sharing and reading

Thanks

Hi everyone...I'm new to this site and am in need of some serious advice.....

I have a Yorkie named Roxy, who is 1yrs old. For some time now we have known that she has luxating patella in both on her back legs, we didnt know this when we purchased her. Once it was discovered her vet explained what this is and what it means for her. Once she was 9 months old, her vet put her on a medication that would help slow the progress....however it was a BIG pill that I would have to cut in 4's and give her only 1/4 of the pill that would most of time crumble and Roxy would not eat in any way, shape, or form. I made her vet aware of that but there wasnt anything else she could recommend. Well, as I previously stated Roxy is only 1yrs old, very hyper and active. One would think they dont bother her until recently I noticed she is becoming stiff in her back legs and today her groomer noticed too. So my question is should we consider putting her through surgery? And if so where does one begin with that kind of process...her vet is not a surgeon and the one vet she recommended I dont like him. I wonder about recovery and what the chances are of the surgery not being succesfull. Please anyone that can me some insight would be greatly appreciated. This lil girl has become a hugh part of my life sometimes my kids say I love her more than I do them...so I want only what's best for her.

Thanks,

Annmarie